Boreal starwort facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Boreal starwort |
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| 1796 botanical illustration. | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Genus: |
Stellaria
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| Species: |
borealis
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Stellaria borealis is a type of flowering plant often called the boreal starwort. It belongs to the Caryophyllaceae family, which includes many kinds of flowers. You can find this plant all over the northern parts of the world, in places like North America, Europe, and Asia. This is called a circumboreal distribution.
It likes to grow in wet and damp places. You might see it near rivers, lakes, marshes, or even in ditches and moist spots in forests. The plant can look a bit different depending on where it grows. Generally, it forms mats of branching stems. Its leaves are shaped like spears and are a few centimeters long.
What Does Boreal Starwort Look Like?
The boreal starwort is a perennial plant, meaning it lives for more than two years. It spreads using underground stems called rhizomes, which help it form wide mats. Its stems have four sides and branch out a lot. The leaves are long and narrow, like the tip of a spear.
Flowers of the Boreal Starwort
The plant produces many small flowers. Each flower usually has five white petals. These petals are deeply split, almost looking like ten tiny petals instead of five. Some flowers might not have petals at all. These flowers will only show their five green, pointed parts called sepals.
How Does Boreal Starwort Interact with Fungi?
Sometimes, a tiny fungus can grow on the boreal starwort. This fungus is called Microbotryum violaceum, and it's a type of smut fungus. When it infects the plant, it makes the plant's pollen-producing parts (called anthers) turn red! This is a unique way the fungus changes the plant's appearance.
